Natural Science- Permanent Waves
As much as Terry Barnhurst enjoyed his nice government job focusing on endangered species which allowed him a house in Charlotte's privileged side of town, the otter would need to engage in the kind of light-spirited play the species was known for. So it seemed a bit infuriating at first when he received a call on his cell phone, just as he was about to swim with his wife and children. For a while, it made his blood boil and he was a little curt on the phone.
"What do you want?" his voice angrily sounded.
"That's no way to treat your old friend. Remember me, I'm Hyman Shafranek, your professor from college here to tell you that your thesis was worth far more than just a good grade. Your studies actually saved my life. I've been trying to contact you because the scientific community needs you. Meet me at Langford University in Hartford." Upon hearing that, Terry's heart was warmed to hear that he had saved his professor's life but he did not know the half of it. His studies into otter gerontology had led to a cure for the otter's short lifespan.
"Your hypothesis which centered around the kidneys as the culprit for the otter's abbrievated lifespan was accurate and a routine kidney exam taken between the ages of 45-50 willl allow the entire species to reach 70 or 80 or even beyond. You're a hero and if you would come to the East Coast, then you would be in line for fellowships. In short, your thesis has made you a superhero for us otters. So please come with us."
Terry's work with endangered species was both steady and high-paying but for an old friend who had a business opportunity, he would drop what he was doing and work for them. That next weekend, he and his wife, who was also a scientist, boarded a plane for a weekend conference for Hartford only to be bombarded by media asking them what it was like to be the 'savior of otters' who had extended the lifespan of otters by 25%. And this was a mountaintop experience for Terry Barnhurst- his job did not really attract much media coverage but now he was the center of attention.
After running into a taxicab to get through the relentless interviewers and paparazzi ("Is this how an athlete must feel?", the otter wondered out loud) Terry found his way to the college where his career as a scientist began all those years again. The office where Hyman shafranek still taught students as he had for twenty years prior was still occupied by the otter, a fact that surprised the professors, who in all honesty had expected Hyman to call it quits years ago as soon as his health declined but he remained healthy for years. Hyman was waiting for him at the front door witha group of some of Terry's old professors and members of a scientific committee.
"So is this the one who made the discovery of the century while pursuing a Master's degree? I almost feel unworthy to be in your presence", a lion in a formal business suit spoke, chilled by an unseasonably-cold night in Connecticut. His name was Henry Thurgood III and he was head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Indeed he is. This revolutionary discovery will help the otter live for another 20 years or more. To think that a needless cancer of the kidneys had once kept us from living a long, fulfilling life. I had nothing to lose so I took his suggestion and told my friends to do the same and here I am, ready to live another twenty years."
The magic of this moment overwhelmed and captivated Terry Barnhurst like nothing had ever done before- he had gone to the Congo and the Great Barrier Reef to study endangered species, often believing his career was meaningless. He was burning out and in need of something different, something that would give his life meaning and thanks to a thesis he had written in college, something he had long since forgotten to give him new life. The job offers from many of the high-and-mighty within the scientific community were simply overwhelming the otter. $550,000 a year for an even better government job than they won he already had soon turned into a $1.2 million per annum job for to simply be a spokesman for a multinational corporation. His face would be put on breakfast cereal boxes, Terry would assume the same praise and adulation and respect reserved for superstar athletes or heads of state. It was at such a time that Terry had to keep his sense of humility.
"You guys keep looking at me like I'm some kind of god amongst men but in truth, I like every single one of you, will someday go the way of all flesh. And just because I delayed the inevitable, I am powerless to stop it. Science gives our lives meaning and improves our lot in life but it cannot make us immortal, no matter how far medicine goes." None of the people there, not Shafranek or Thurgood nor anyone else wanted to admit it but he was right. Amidst this party atmosphere for a man whose genius observations had advanced otterkind immeasurably, all were forced to re-examine their own mortality. It would someday happen to them all and they would all die, no matter what medicines they used. But there would be rejoicing and happiness for now and the foreseeable future. After all, death comes but what happens before it comes?
Fifty years later...
"I consider myself blessed to see children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren but I have summoned you here on this family reunion to tell you that after a long life, my time has come." There were sighs and gasps as the 86-year-old-otter, his body finally enfeebled by the years he had spent on this earth spoke.
"My final request is this- not to be buried but to be sent out to sea along the Guyton Beach, where my interest in science began long ago as I observed the tidal pools and the life therein. My time with you is short but I do request this one last favor."
The doctors had seen Terry and they knew that the otter's chances of survival were very slim and whatever survival he might have would be not worth it. So his family set his limp body, almost dead to the beach and waited for the tide to carry him out. Like a creature in a tidal pool, he would be swept away to the sea where he belonged. The waves came at him, flowing with the tide and soon, in full view of his family, buried him. Yet those same tides restored life to the tidal pools by flowing and receding, leaving the endless cycle of life to go on as it was.